High school students get cooking in college classes

Thunder Bay high school students take advantage of Confederation College's dual credit summer school program

Thunder Bay high school students take part in a summertime dual-credit program at Confederation College. Pictured here are students learning to make a healthy meal in a cooking course.
(Matt Prokopchuk/CBC)

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School's not out for some students at Thunder Bay's Catholic high schools this summer, as they work toward earning high school and college credits.

The four-week summer classes allow students to take classes in healthy cooking, computer skills and an introduction to skilled trades.

"The idea of providing dual credits … facilitates … students in transition from secondary into post-secondary," said Jim Keyes, who oversees the program for the board.

Keyes said 90 students are enrolled in summer classes this year — up sharply from about only 25 students in each of the last two summer sessions.

A kitchen at Confederation College is one of the learning centres that plays host to a class about easy healthy cooking.

‘Actually going to college’

Student Greg Knott said he's enjoying it and finds it "very interesting using gas-powered ovens and stoves, 'cause I've never seen a gas-powered oven or stove before, and it's really neat how they always have the flame on."

Knott just finished Grade 10 this past year.

"I want to know how to cook so, when I live on my own, I know how to cook," he said.

"I don't want to be that one guy who always has to go eat out."

The "Summer C.L.A.S.S program" — which stands for Centre for Learning And Student Success — is a partnership between the Catholic board and Confederation College.

College faculty members teach the students.

Another cooking class student, Victoria Lee, just finished Grade 12 and was enrolled in the college's business accounting course. But now she wants to switch to the culinary program.

"[The class] gives you … a view how it's going to be when you're actually going to college," she said.

"We have three weeks of this, then we have to do … another test … and we still have a ton of assignments. It kind of shows how much you're actually going to get in college and … that you can't really stretch the due dates."